Michael Richards Michael.Richards@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Contemporary European History
Exhuming Franco: Spain’s second transition
Richards, Michael
Authors
Abstract
Following recommendation by a commission of historians, General Franco’s coffin was removed in 2019 from the controversial basilica-cum-heritage site, the Valley of the Fallen, constructed by his regime in the mountains north of Madrid. This attempt to de-politicise the site was carried out by the Social Democratic government in Spain, a process supported by a decision of the Supreme Court. The impact of this reform has been overlayed by the political “radioactivity” triggered by the exhumation on the eve of general elections in 2019. Amid economic crisis, exposure of political corruption, a waning of support for the previously most successful post-Franco political parties, and decline of Spanish nationalism, there have been calls for ‘a second transition’ to ‘complete’ the earlier transition to democracy after Franco died in 1975. ‘Exhuming Franco’ shows how the removal of the dictator’s remains was (and is) embroiled in this complex political moment which is determined as much by a global shift towards political populism as it is by the specifically Spanish historical context.
Citation
Richards, M. (in press). Exhuming Franco: Spain’s second transition. Journal of Modern History, 96(2),
Journal Article Type | Book Review |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Dec 22, 2023 |
Deposit Date | Mar 22, 2024 |
Print ISSN | 0022-2801 |
Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
Peer Reviewed | Not Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 96 |
Issue | 2 |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11837558 |
This file is under embargo due to copyright reasons.
Contact Michael.Richards@uwe.ac.uk to request a copy for personal use.
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